May. 19, 2015

May. 2, 2015

Law enforcement authorities arrest Joseph Giardala at Los Angeles International Airport and return him to New York to face charges after DNA evidence links him to 1995 rape case in West Village; case is latest effort by Manhattan District Attorney Cyrus Vance Jr to use DNA to solve cold cases. MORE

Dec. 7, 2014

Profile of New York County District Atty Cyrus Vance Jr; Vance has transformed, through the use of data, the way district attorneys fight crime. MORE

Nov. 19, 2014

Editorial welcomes commitment from Manhattan District Atty Cyrus Vance Jr to use $35 million in civil forfeiture assets to help other jurisdictions reduce their backlogs of untested rape kits; contends Vance's decision admirably highlights dithering by cities, states and federal government on issue, but raises question of whether it is appropriate to use New York City assets to help meet out-of-state law enforcement needs. MORE

Nov. 13, 2014

Manhattan District Atty Cyrus R Vance Jr announces program under which $35 million in civil forfeiture assets will be used to help other cities and states tackle massive backlog of untested rape kits; Vance asserts that effort would likely lead to indictments far beyond the communities that receive aid. MORE

Jul. 14, 2014

Editorial contends key finding of Vera Institute of Justice report on prosecutorial practices of the Manhattan district attorney's office is of pattern of racial disparities at multiple stages of the criminal justice process; praises Dist Atty Cyrus Vance Jr for inviting such a comprehensive analysis of his own office; notes major problem is prosecutors' emphasis on prior arrests when making plea bargains, rather than focusing on previous prison sentences. MORE

Jun. 5, 2014

New York City Police Commissioner William J Bratton and office of Manhattan district attorney, Cyrus R Vance Jr, begin unusually close collaboration aimed at driving down other crimes, including grand larceny, domestic violence and cybercrime; will devise strategies for targeting offenders believed to be driving crime, using same intelligence-gathering techniques employed to dismantle street gangs. MORE

Jun. 5, 2014

Dozens of gang suspects are arrested in simultaneous police raids on two Manhattan housing projects, charged with conspiracy, assault and weapons offenses; crimes alleged include two killings and at least 19 shootings between January 2010 and May 2014; early-morning arrests are latest in strategy honed by Manhattan's district attorney and Police Department. MORE

Mar. 31, 2012

Lloyd E Constantine says he did not mention his close ties to Manhattan District Attorney Cyrus R Vance Jr. when chosen as a juror in the rape trial of Michael Pena to avoid the appearance of trying to shirk jury duty; Pena, an off-duty police officer, was convicted of criminal sexual assault and predatory sexual assault, but the jury deadlocked on two other counts of rape, and Constantine was one of three jurors whose refusal to convict led to a mistrial on those counts. MORE

Jan. 27, 2012

Manhattan District Attorney Cyrus R Vance Jr, criticized recently over two high-profile cases involving sexual assault claims, must now investigate an accusation against local television news anchor Greg Kelly, the son of New York City Police Commissioner Raymond W Kelly; some experienced New York lawyers say that for Vance, case is an opportunity not so much for a high-profile conviction, as to show competency in the political aspect of his job. MORE